Lamp socket



April 20, 1937. L. o. ERIKSON LAMP SOCKET Original Filed Aug. 18, 1934 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE LAllW SOCKET Leonard 0. Erikson, Maiden, Mass.

Application August is, 1934, Serial No. 7469,4149 Renewed March. 4, 1937 1 Claim.

This invention relates to lamp sockets and more especially to lamp sockets for connecting a relatively long lamp having metallic end closures in circuit with a supply system.

The object of my invention is to provide a socket whereby a tubular lamp may be readily connected to and disconnected from the circuit and whereby fire hazard and danger to the person are reduced.

My invention comprises an insulating cap containing a resiliently-controlled movable contact member constructed to snap over the end closure of a tubular lamp and supporting means whereby the caps on the ends of the lamp are 5 held in desired position, each said supporting means enclosing a connector arranged for engagement with the contact members and for connection to the supply system.

The metallic parts of the sockets and their supports are enclosed within insulating material to reduce fire hazard and danger of injury to the person.

An exemplification of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the socket;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the use of my invention for connecting a pair of lamps in tandem.

In the particular drawing selected for more fully illustrating the principle of my invention, III is a metallic channel such as ordinarily used for enclosing the conductors in show-case lighting systems and the like. The channel is provided with spaced apertures ll, through which project the ends of a par of insulating housings l2, such housings being shouldered longitudinally, as indicated at It and provided with flanges ll which rest on the upper face 01 the channel. By means of screws I! the housings are securely held to the channel.

Each housing is provided with a transverse bore l6 intersectinga longitudinal bore l'l disposed within which is a connector l8 provided at its lower end with binding-post means l9 and at its upper end with a head disposed within or registering with the transverse ,bore aforesaid. Any suitable means such as the screw 2| may be employed to secure the connector within the housing and preferably the screw- 55 hole is filled with insulating cement, as indi- (Cl. ltd-=29) cated at 22, after the screw has been placed in position.

As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, a plug 23 of insulating material may be employed to close the outer socket formed by the transverse bore (16.

An insulating cap 3b is provided with a plug 3i receivable within and closely fitting one of the sockets formed by the transverse bore it in the housing. Disposed within the cap is a contact member 32, preferably of resilient material, which is shaped to receive and snap over the metallic end closure 36 of the tubular lamp In the present instance the contact member is shown as a four-arm spider centrally disposed within the cap and controlled by the spring 33 interposed between the base of the cap and the disc portion of the spider. Through the central bore of the spider the headed stud 3t passes and extends through the plug 3i, its outer end being in engagement and electrical contact with the connector 263. The headed stud constitutes a means for limiting the forward movement of the contact member and preferably is arranged so that said member cannot move beyond a point within the open end of the cap so that the ends of the spider will not project beyond such open end. Obviously the spring will permit limited longitudinal movement of each cap with respect to the lamp.

In the drawing the lamp is shown as having a filament 31 connected electrically by the pins 38 and supports 39 to the end closures 34. An insulating block 40 is interposed between the members 39 and the support ll for the pins 42. The lamp shown in the drawing is of a well-known type and constitutes no part of the present invention.

In order to connect the tubular lamp in circuit, the caps are placed over the ends thereof, the contact members 32 snapping over the lamp closures and the caps thereby being retained on the lamp. The plug 3| of one of the caps may then be inserted in the socket I6 of one of the housings I2, whereupon the cap at the other end of the lamp may be moved back against the resistance of the coiled spring a distance equal to the length of the plug, the latter brought into register with the housing socket and then released, whereupon the spring forces said plug into said socket and the circuit through the lamp is then completed by way of the two connectors, the flanged studs and the contact members; or the operator may grasp both caps, push them toward each other against the resistance of their respective springs so that the ends of the plugs will clear the proximate ends of the housings and then insert the former in the latter. It will be noted that the separation of the proximate ends of the cap is less than the length 5 of the lamp so that none of the metallic members enclosed within a cap'is exposed, and also that the distance between the outer ends of the plugs is greater than the separation oi the proximate faces of the housings I! by substantially twice the length of a plug, the length of each plug being substantially the amount oi permissible movement of a cap with respect to the lamp.

To remove a lamp from circuit one of the caps is drawn back over the lamp until the end of a plug clears its socket, whereupon the lamp may be lifted out 01' its support; or both caps may be pushed back simultaneously so that both plugs will clear their sockets.

In order to connect two lamps 35 and 35' in tandem, the plug 2! is removed and the plugs on the ends of the caps 30, inserted in the registering sockets of the support 12. In this way two or more lamps may be connected in tandem mechanically and in-parallel with the electric circuit.

It will be obvious that all of the current-carrying members 01' the lamp, the socket and the socket supports are fully enclosed by insulating 6 material and therefore cannot come into contact with the user. 7

Having thus described illustrative embodiments of my invention without however limiting the same thereto, what I claim and desire to 10 secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a tubular lamp having metallic end closures electrically connected to the filament thereof, of a pair of oppofltely-disposed insulating caps disposed on the respective it ends of said lamp, and a pair oi conducting members of resilient material, each disposed within one 01' said insulating caps and resiliently secured to said end closures, the proximate ends of said insulating caps extending over 20 and beyond said metafiic end closures and conducting members, respectively.

LEONARD o. muxsoir. 

